Let me tell you about a guy who works for me. We'll call him John. John makes me feel old. (I'm only 30 this year, but I had the stark realization today that high school was longer ago than I want to think about) Anyway, John is about to go to the army, and smart as a whip. I mean really smart. He's not going to be your average soldier; he's been accepted to train to remote pilot the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) that are so critical to our missions in Afghanistan right now. Just to be considered for this job a person has to perform in the top 3% on the ASVAB, which is the military's version of the SAT. The kid didn't even study and he did so well they asked him to apply for this job. If he wanted he could go to Harvard.
But what makes me feel old when I see John isn't how smart he is. It's how he is so supremely confident in whatever he does. He has the confidence of someone who has never found his limit. He has never had to admit to himself that he was overcome by anything. He is 19, and he's never been beaten.
Were we all like that at 19? I know I was. I remember how it felt, and it felt pretty good. I was convinced that I was going to go out into the world and change it because Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But there was a problem: In my head and heart I put the emphasis on the first 5 words instead of the last 5. When you look at it that way, you are the focus, not God. Read the verse carefully, and you'll see what I mean. I had a plan, and I was going to do it, and nothing was going to distract me from it, and God had better get on board with it cuz I'm ready to go...
So God showed me how small I am. He gave me some stuff I couldn't handle. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say for years God tried to get my attention focused on the right thing. He used everything to try and humble me including illness, injury, betrayal, and roadblocks. Life got really tough. He didn't allow these things to happen in order to be mean, but rather to get me focused on him. He wants my focus to be on the last half of Philippians 4:13. I believe he wants us all to give up our own plans for us, and accept his plan for us. It isn't about you or me and our plans for life. It's about his plan, which will take us places we would never go because those places will be uncomfortable, and dark, and difficult. He will guide us through tough times because tough times are where we truly grow. Also, coincidentally, those dark difficult places are where his light is most needed. So don't be afraid of the dark. Just be humble and trust God to have a better plan than you have, or be humbled by God. It's your choice, but one thing is for sure, in life humility will come to us all.
Proverbs 22:4 "Humility is the fear of the LORD; it's wages are riches and honor and life"
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